Engineers working at Kytra and Fort Augustus have recently encountered some unexpected issues which will cause a delay in the reopening of the canal. The Caledonian Canal is now scheduled to re-open at 8:30 on Wednesday 17th of April 2019.

Re-think the link – Crinan Corridor Charrette

Scottish Canals and Argyll & Bute Council held a series of collaborative design workshops, known as a ‘charrette’, to help shape the future of the Crinan Canal Corridor at the #CrinanCorridor charrette.

The final Crinan Corridor Charrette report has now been published, and is available to download:

The charrette ran from the 27th to the 30th of April 2016, with local residents, businesses, landowners, community groups, and other agencies working together to create a shared vision for the canal corridor and the communities on its banks.

Supported by technical experts and designers, the sessions generated a number of ideas and proposals to help maximise the tourism, leisure and business opportunities offered by the canal and ensure the long-term future of Ardrishaig, Crinan and Lochgilphead. The results of the four-day event were showcased in an exhibition held on the final day.

Following the event, the design team worked up some more drawings and tested some of the ideas raised, with these ideas presented in an exhibition in June. In August, an innovative pop-up exhibition turned the disused Gleaner Oil Works site in Ardrishaig into an industrial art canvas, including interpretive boards and video installations focusing on the area’s rich heritage and outputs from the charrette.

Check out what the local community had to say about their hopes for the area beforehand

Check out the results of day 1

Take a look at day 2

Christopher Breslin, Strategic Planning and Design Manager at Scottish Canals, said: “We were delighted with the turnout at the Crinan Corridor Charrette, where more than 200 members of the community battled rain, snow, hail – and even the odd spot of sunshine – to share their vision for the future of the area.

“Taking place within the communities of Lochgilphead, Ardrishaig, Cairnbaan and Crinan, the sessions were creative, dynamic and generated a number of exciting ideas, from the creation of a new arts and cultural centre; to the revitalisation of the former Bridge House Hotel; the return of the Crinan Canal Festival; new possibilities for the Lochgilphead Front Green and the regeneration of the Ardrishaig waterfront.

“We also carried out some pre-charrette activities with local schools, where children described the area in the year 2025 and outlined how they would like to see things change. Similarly, the Pecha Kucha event at the Cairnbaan Hotel brought together artists, social enterprises, trusts and arts organisations and helped highlight the rich diversity of arts and culture already in place in Mid Argyll.”

“We’ll be looking into all those ideas over the next few weeks before a follow-up exhibition in the summer that will allow local people to have a further say on which projects should be prioritised and how funding could be unlocked to take them forward. One of the key messages of the charrette was the need to work together. Given this approach I’m sure we can create a shared vision that will create even more opportunities for business, leisure and tourism that helps build a sustainable future for the area with the canal at its heart.”

Fergus Murray, Head of Economic Development at Argyll and Bute Council

Check out what happened on day 3!

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